Choking
by headtrip parade
Summary: At the heels of her official launch for Highway 65, Rayna and those close to her must deal with an impending PR nightmare.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello hello! I normally write stories based on unresolved moments, the past, or spoilers related to the show. Pure speculation as a muse is something that's a little out of my comfort zone, but I'm going to give it a shot. I got to thinking to myself that the number of people who know about Maddie's parentage is getting to be a little outside the circle of trust, so I wondered what exactly would happen if that secret got out. I'm going to try and keep this as realistic as possible and hopefully it won't turn into the soap opera that I'm sure the show would turn it into. Should be a two or three-parter when it's done. Enjoy!**

* * *

She drew her breath in slowly and let the sunshine fall on her face. It was a brisk morning in late February; the forecast called for nothing but blue skies and a high of 52 degrees. It was probably closer to around 44 this early, but no matter. It was still a beautiful, perfect day for an outdoor press conference.

Rayna was nervous.

Hell, that was the understatement of the decade. Her hands were clammy and shaking, her brain was running 100 MPH with all the worst possible scenarios, and she was almost certain her breakfast was going to spill in the Ryman Alley any minute, right under the newly restored, historic Tootsie's sign.

"_Wouldn't that make for a fine photo op?" _she thought to herself.

She'd dreamt of this moment forever—or at least from the first moment Edgehill withdrew their support of her independence and started treating her more like a cash cow on strings than an actual artist with a craft—but now that it was here, she couldn't shake the doubt. Had she done the right thing? Was she about to stand on the back steps of the sacred Ryman Auditorium and announce to everyone a venture that would ultimately cause her to fall flat on her face?

Moments earlier, she'd been standing next to the steps, watching the hubbub carefully as the microphone stand was set-up, the barricades were placed, and the Highway 65 logo was hung on the podium. That's when she lost it. Sure, she'd announced the start of the label months back at the Opry, but it was all so much more certain then. She still felt in control—and, if she had to be honest, she hadn't leveraged her entire fortune yet. She tried to remind herself that it wasn't all about money, but somehow, throwing every penny into the hat put things in perspective. She couldn't shake the fear of having to go back to bartending to support her children.

She needed to get away.

She walked quickly away from the mess and into the alley. Tootsies and Legends were gearing up for the day and Jack's was firing up the smoker. She could smell all of it, mixed in with the stale horse shit from the carriage horses on Broadway. It was familiar to her. It was so keenly Nashville. It was her home, and this is where she'd made it.

These busted honky tonks placed so eloquently behind the Mother Church of Country Music raised her and _these_ were her people.

She couldn't let them down now, just as much as she couldn't let herself down.

* * *

"Thank you!"

Rayna waved to the throngs of reporters and the small number of fans who had shown up. Due to the limited, urban space of where she'd chosen to have the conference, it was decided to be a "press only" event. The fans were mostly tourists who'd been strolling around and stumbled upon the event.

She glanced back at Maddie and Daphne, who stood behind her on the top step with proud, excited smiles beaming across their faces. She was always reluctant to have them anywhere near where the press was going to be involved, and especially since Peggy had been shot, but she knew this was an important moment for not only her, but them as well. She also knew it was going to be personally special for Maddie, given her impending announcement and probably one of the biggest surprises of the morning. She grinned, thinking of the secret.

"Good morning," She shook her head and motioned with her hands, trying to quiet the cheers. Times like these when she was so unsure of herself and her choices, she knew the public loved her and believed in her. She found that in a larger way than she'd ever admit, it helps.

"Thank you so much. Listen, I know it's a little chilly, but I brought y'all out here on this beautiful day to let you know something real special. You may remember that I introduced my label, Highway 65, at the Opry back in May. You remember that?"

She smiled widely at the cheers.

"Well, I'm here today to tell you that Highway 65 has officially been launched."

More cheers exploded, and she looked back again at her daughters. Daphne was literally jumping, while Maddie, just one month shy of 14, gave her an approving nod.

Glancing down to her right, she caught the glances of Tandy, Bucky, and Deacon, all smiling and applauding enthusiastically.

"That's right. Now I want to introduce some special people to you to kind of get the ball rolling. First off, I am so happy to be joined today by my girls, Maddie and Daphne. The support of my family is really what's gotten me here today and I'm so proud of them and thankful for their support and belief in me that I even let them play hooky to be here with me today,"

She laughed, clasping her hands together as someone in the crowd yelled a muffled, "Best mom ever!"

"Well, I'm not so sure the school thinks so, but we'll see."

She went through the motions for a few more minutes, bringing up Bucky and Tandy to thank them for their support and clue everyone into their roles at the label. She talked a bit about her vision for the business, as well as for the future, while urging support of her and her other two artists, whom she promised to introduce momentarily.

While the morning had gone flawlessly, she found herself eaten with nerves again. What she was about to do could, while probably the smartest business decision she could make, also cause some slight upheaval in her personal life, with slight being the polite way to say it.

She couldn't fathom how Teddy or the tabloids would react, but she knew it was the right thing to do for not only herself and Deacon, but for Maddie, too.

She swallowed the lump rising in her throat, washing down with it the bitter memories of the bidding war she had to get into to keep Deacon in her catalog.

She smiled anxiously and, after naming herself and Scarlett O'Connor as the first two artists on Highway 65, called Deacon Claybourne up as the third.

* * *

"Mom! That was awesome!" Daphne squealed from her place beside Tandy, still jumping in place.

"Thanks honey. What'd you think?" She eyed Maddie, grinning.

She had kept it from Maddie that she was signing Deacon, not so much for any bigger reason than she just wanted to surprise her.

"It was great, mom."

Rayna smiled, fully receiving her daughter's arms around her neck. While it was still much to Teddy's disapproval, Maddie and Deacon had continued to form their relationship. Maddie herself had spoken with Teddy and assured him that he was not being replaced, that he was her father, and she loved him with all her heart. She had asked him for support of her relationship with Deacon, explaining that she was curious and wanted to get to know him, adding that she did have a connection with him and she didn't see the problem in having two men who loved and supported her.

What she got was a silent nod, while Rayna got a verbal lashing and even more pushback.

It was at that point Rayna decided to give Maddie and Deacon the go ahead to go all in.

She continued to hold onto Maddie while Daphne rambled on to her aunt about pancakes and Deacon approached from the small group of reporters that had surrounded him immediately after the conference. She grinned at him, allowing Maddie to slip to her side.

"How ya feeling?" She asked, slapping him lightly on the shoulder once he was close enough.

"Kinda weird, honestly. For a second I almost told the camera people they had the wrong guy, 'til I remembered they didn't."

Maddie laughed softly.

"What's so funny?" Deacon asked, watching as Rayna stroked Maddie's hair. He was unsure exactly what feelings the sight brought, but whatever they were, he couldn't stop beaming.

"Nothing. It's really awesome. Congratulations." She reached over and hugged him tightly; probably the tightest she'd hugged him since she'd been seeing him.

He tentatively squeezed back, grinning shyly at Rayna as he did so.

"Thanks, sweetheart."

Rayna smiled at the two of them.

"Hey, I think Daphne's pretty hungry and I know all this excitement has really given me an appetite. What do you guys think of Pancake Pantry for lunch?"

Maddie turned around excitedly.

"Can Deacon come too?"

Rayna looked at him, giving off what he saw as the slightest bit of hope in her eyes. Hope for what? He wasn't sure. Hope for his career, maybe? Hope for _them?_ Or maybe just hope that he'd join the family for pancakes.

"He's invited, if he wants to."

He never broke his gaze at Rayna, perhaps foolishly relishing every second of it.

"I do love me some Pancake Pantry."

"Good," she said, smiling genuinely. "Everyone in the car, then. Meet us there?"

He was just opening his mouth to answer, when an obvious reporter began walking in their direction. He nodded in that direction.

Rayna turned, instantly recognizing the familiar face.

"Steven! Hi!"

The man waved.

Steven Lee was a long time, well respected writer for the Tennessean. He had covered Rayna's career from pretty much the beginning, taking great care to leave all the tabloid fodder at the door. Not that there had been much of it, minus her obviously shotgun wedding to Teddy and their subsequent divorce at the hands of rumored affairs.

He was a good man, she knew, as well as a good journalist. Any exclusives she had for the Tennessean went to him.

"Hey Rayna, Deacon," he nodded to them both, his thick drawl shining through his words. "Might I have a word with ya both?"

* * *

They stood at the edge of the parking lot.

There was no one around, and for the umpteenth time that day, Rayna's nerves were slowly gnawing at her insides. When he'd first asked to speak with them, she assumed it was for his piece on the label, as anyone would. When he'd asked for somewhere private, she grew confused. When she placed her kids and sister in the car and the space outside was still not private enough, she become full on concerned.

"What's this about, Steve?" Deacon asked, seemingly confused.

"Look guys, I really wish I could say this was about what went on today. It's really a great thing you're both doing and I promise you'll get the paper's full support on it, but—"

"But what?"

Rayna was growing impatient, and her nerves were wearing thin. She knew in her gut what was coming; she'd dreaded it for so long and she always felt that her actions would come back to bite her in the ass. She just needed to hear it from him; from this respected, storied reporter who had never done anything to jeopardize her career or her family. She needed him to tell her that it was all over.

"Do you know Joey Katz?"

Rayna closed her eyes. Of course she knew Joey Katz. He was the Walter Cronkite of tabloid trash journalism. He'd spread the speculation that she was pregnant at her wedding. He'd also been the one Peggy sold the divorce to.

She nodded grimly.

"Well, rumors are circulating that he's got a tidbit. I don't know why, but he's sitting on it. That ain't normally his style, but he seems to actually be trying to find a halfway decent source. I just wanted to let you know that if he gets his source or anything close to it, he's running the story."

Deacon stared at his feet, clearly fearful of what was coming next.

"And," Rayna choked. "And what might this story be?"

Steven stared at Deacon.

"That Maddie Conrad is Deacon Claybourne's daughter."


	2. Chapter 2

Rayna took the hot mug from Deacon's hands and sunk back into his brown leather couch.

"Thank you," She muttered quietly, almost in a whisper. She'd barely spoken since Steven had told them both of Joey Katz's intention to spill their secret, with the exception of telling Tandy to take the girls for pancakes and she'd join them at home later.

She didn't want them to sense anything was wrong, so she'd put on her best face and said she had to stay and do some unexpected interviews.

It hurt her how easily they bought her bullshit.

Deacon began to sit down next to her on the couch, but thought better of it and went across the room to the chair instead.

He knew her inside and out; she was his favorite book to read, so he knew she didn't want to talk. He could tell that if he'd let her, she would sink further and further into his couch until she'd finally reached some sort of oblivion where none of this was happening.

But, he also knew how badly the elephant in the room could crush them. More so than them, he knew how badly it could crush their daughter.

"What are you gonna do, Ray?"

She broke her focus from the coffee mug in her hand and looked at him, her face puffy from tears and her eyes smeared with non-waterproof mascara. She was still every bit as stunning to him.

"I thought this would be a 'we.'" Her voice was monotone. No anger; no hurt. Just nothing.

He gripped his own mug and searched delicately for his words. He didn't want to get in the way here. If it were up to him, he'd go to the guy's house and beat him senseless. He wanted to ask the guy if he even thought about the fact that a young girl's life, reputation, and feelings were at stake.

Somehow, though, this felt to him like an area he should stay clear of unless otherwise asked.

"Rayna, you know I'm only going to get as involved as I'm invited to get. That's all I've been doing."

She rolled her eyes and put her mug on the end table, not once taking a sip.

"Don't do that, Deacon."

"Do what?"

"Try to act like you're not in this."

He gripped his mug a little tighter.

"Well, things have been getting better, but I'm still not real sure where I stand, Ray. This could be something real big for her and for you and Teddy, and I—"

"Oh, like you give two shits about Teddy!"

Her eyes were cutting him. He partly knew it was displaced anger and resentment, but the other side of him was working to get defensive.

"I'm not saying that—"

"This will destroy her, Deacon. And us. All of us, Teddy included."

He didn't notice his leg bouncing, a nervous tick he'd always had.

"So again, Ray… what happens now?"

She shook her head, a fresh set of tears beginning to spill.

"I don't know. I just don't know."

He didn't think about it, not even for a second. It was instinct. The sight of her so vulnerable and broken; the tears falling down her face… all of it together called him to stand up and rush to her.

He held her close to him while she sobbed. When he woke up that morning he certainly didn't foresee holding Rayna on his couch, but now that he was, he couldn't think about it. All he could think about was Maddie.

"I think," she sniffled, breaking away just enough to look at him. "I think we have to come clean."

He sighed.

"You really think that's the best plan?"

"What else do we do? Joey Katz is vicious. Something like this he'll sit on forever. And you know, and I know, that the longer these things fester, the worse they get. It's gonna happen, Deacon, and I think it'd be better if we stand up there and tell everyone before he makes us out to be deer in headlights with some horrible magazine cover."

He could come up with at least fifty questions, but figured he should start with the most obvious.

"What's Teddy gonna say?"

"I'd like to think he'll agree it's the best thing for Maddie, but who knows? I'll handle him. I just really need your help with her right now."

He repeated those words in his head over and over. She was asking him for help with Maddie. She was seemingly entrusting him to bring something to the table, as he'd said he wanted to do. If the situation didn't have them in such dire straits, he might have smiled.

"Do you really think this guy is so horrible?"

"Deacon! He photo-shopped my wedding pictures to enhance my baby bump so he could sell it as a shotgun wedding."

"But you were pregnant and it was a shotgun wedding,"

She scoffed, hitting him on the arm.

"Well, it was, Ray."

She sat up on the edge of the couch, running her fingers through her tangled hair.

"I've got to start calling people. I have to call Bucky and have him call the publicist, I have to call Tandy and fill her in on the details, I have to call Teddy—"

"Rayna, do you think this guy really has a source? I mean, who's he really got that he can talk to about it?"

"Well, we know. Daddy and Tandy know. Coleman knows. Teddy knows. I'm sure he told Peggy before she passed, so God knows who knows now. Maddie told Juliette." Her answer was dry. She sighed, playing with her finger nails.

Deacon raised his eyes to her sharply.

"Juliette knows?"

Rayna nodded.

"Yeah, but Peggy knowing scares me more. She leaked the divorce. Who'd you tell?"

He covered his face, chuckling at the misfortune of the whole thing.

"Just Scarlett and my sister. And Megan. I told Megan."

"Can you trust her?"

He sighed.

"I think so, Ray."

She nodded, placing her hand firmly on his knee and looking him in the eye.

"Well, I trust you."

* * *

He pulled his truck into the driveway, throwing the gear into park and turning to look at her.

She'd excused herself to the bathroom after making her phone calls and washed her face and put her unkempt hair in a bun. It was tenfold better, but he thought she was a beautiful mess before.

"Want me to come in? Help you talk to her?"

She smiled weakly, shaking her head.

"No, you don't have to. I have Tandy here, so…"

He sighed. She'd called Teddy and told him the scenario, which he obviously flipped out about. At the end of the conversation, though, he'd acknowledged that it was better to come outright and say the truth than let a magazine churn a rumor they couldn't deny. Unfortunately, he was at some southern mayoral convention in Florida and couldn't get a flight until the morning.

"You sure, Ray? I know Teddy can't be here and I don't want you to have to deal with this by yourself. I don't want her to have to, either."

"You really want to?"

He looked down at the dash for a few seconds before bringing his eyes back to hers with more certainty than he'd had when he first posed the question.

"Yeah. I do."

"Come on."

* * *

Deacon knocked softly on the open door, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Can I come in?"

She smiled and took out her ear buds, sitting straight up on the bed.

"Hi!"

He entered the room cautiously and took in his surroundings, noting to himself that he had never been surrounded by so much pale pink in his life. Not even Scarlett's nursery had this much pink.

Somehow, in spite of all the pink, the room was very grown up. The bedding was undoubtedly very luxurious, the furniture was mature, and there were pictures everywhere of Maddie and her friends. Then there was the guitar case poking out of the closet, while an obviously old guitar sat on a stand in the corner. He wasn't really sure was a teenage girl's room was supposed to look like, but for Maddie, this seemed like perfection.

"Wow. So this is your room?"

She smiled, wrapping her ear buds around her iPod and setting on the nightstand.

"Yes. What are you doing here?"

He looked around some more, fidgeting and placing his hands in his pockets.

"Um, well, your mama needed to talk to you and I'm just here for—"

"Hey guys," Rayna interrupted, cheery as ever, holding three mugs of hot chocolate in one hand and a can of Reddi-Whip in the other. "I brought hot chocolate!"

Deacon watched, utterly amazed. This could not possibly be the same broken woman who cried herself dry on his couch and who sat in near silence in his truck the whole way over here, could it? He figured she was doing it so Maddie didn't get stressed out, but it was still amazing to him. He'd often watched his own mother do the same thing after his father had beaten her silly. Not that this was in any way the same scenario, but any woman's ability to leave their baggage at the door for the sake of their children intrigued him.

He and Maddie both graciously took their mugs, and all three piled the whipped cream sky high. Rayna sat on the bed while Deacon propped himself up against the dresser.

"So… can I guess what you want to tell me?"

Maddie smiled innocently, and Rayna returned it with a weaker smile. She didn't want to break her heart.

"You're signing me and Daphne to your label?"

Rayna let out a small chuckle, shaking her head. "No."

"Yeah," Deacon spoke up. "Slow down there, kiddo."

"Well, you can't get something if you don't ask."

Rayna grinned, putting her hand atop Maddie's.

"Actually, sweetheart, I wanted to let you know that I spoke with an old friend from the newspaper today and he told me that there are some people in the tabloids who might want to start a rumor about you… and us," She watched, tortured, as the confusion spread across Maddie's face. "But I want to tell you now, before I say anything else, that I love you so much and I am not going to let anybody hurt your feelings, or you. Okay?"

Maddie nodded slowly, looking up at Deacon. He caught her gaze and could tell she was asking him to say anything to her. For the first time, it seemed, he knew exactly what to say.

"I'm not either."

She looked back at her mother.

"I don't understand. What kind of rumor?"

"Well, honey, you know these people get paid a lot of money to say horrible things and leak private things, right?" Maddie nodded.

"I don't know how, but it looks like they've found out that Deacon's your father. They want to release it," she searched Maddie's face for any kind of emotion. It was blank. "How do you feel about that?"

"Well, he is."

Rayna sighed.

"I know, honey, but this kind of thing…" She trailed off, searching for the right words. She turned her neck, looking to Deacon for support when she lost what she was looking for.

He cleared his throat, setting his mug down on the dresser and putting his hands back in his pockets as he spoke.

"This is the kind of thing that could really upset a lot of people, Maddie. It could hurt a lot of people, too, if they're able to release it the way they want to release it. Yeah, sure, the truth would be in there, but they'd probably butter it up with all kinds of juicy lies, too."

Rayna nodded.

"That's right. Remember when they wrote about mine and your dad's divorce? All the lies they printed and we talked about why they would say those things?"

"Yes," Maddie answered, looking down at her hands. "So what would they say about me?"

"I don't know, honey. I really don't know, but I was talking to Deacon and your dad and we think the best thing to do would be to tell everyone now, on our own terms… that way it might be a little easier for you. It's still going to be a big change and a lot of adjustment, for all of us, but we'll all be there for you."

Maddie looked up sadly. "So dad knows about this?"

"Yeah, baby. And he loves you so much and just wants to protect you and your sister. We all do," She looked at Deacon once more. "Right?"

"That's right," he answered. He'd been so unsure lately, but he wasn't about this. He'd never been more sure of anything in his life.

* * *

Deacon opened the door to his truck, turning around to face Rayna.

The conversation had gone fairly well, he thought, given the circumstances. Maddie seemed oddly comfortable with the world knowing the truth. She said she wasn't embarrassed by it and she just wanted the tabloids to not lie about anything. Rayna and Deacon had both assured her they'd tell the whole truth so that there would be nothing hurtful that could come out.

Deacon grinned a little when he remembered that at the end of the conversation, all Maddie seemed to care about was Daphne's feelings.

"She'll be okay, Ray. I think I'm a hell of a lot more scared than she is."

Rayna grinned. "You and me both. I really don't know where she gets her strength from."

"Oh, come on," He grabbed her hand gingerly. "Everyone knows that's from you."

"I don't feel real strong most days, lately." She looked at her feet.

"Hey," He said, lifting her chin up to look him in the eye. "We'll both get there."

She smiled and leaned up, without thinking, kissing him softly on the cheek. His cheeks grew hot, as did hers.

"I'll call you tomorrow. I'm meeting with Bucky and the publicist. Will you come?"

He nodded as she started to back away.

"Whatever you need, Ray."

They said their goodbyes and he began to shut the truck door, when she suddenly turned back around.

"Deacon!"

He opened the door back up, just as he had turned the ignition.

"Yeah?"

"You said earlier you only told Scarlett and your sister. You didn't tell your mom?"

He rubbed his forehead and looked down at the steering wheel, nothing but the dashboard illuminating his face.

"She didn't need to know, Ray,"

Rayna looked at him quizzically, saying nothing.

"I couldn't tell her that she had a grandchild I wasn't sure she'd ever get to see."


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here's the end! I hope it didn't get too soapy. The last segment was personally my favorite to write, as I'm very much into exploring Maddie's process through all of this. Thanks for all the kind reviews! (Also… I couldn't resist some Teddy/Deacon nonsense. As old as it can get, it's still fun to write.) **

* * *

Rayna looked around the table, shifting uncomfortably. There were far too many people, she thought, and the nervous stares being exchanged among everyone were not making her feel any more at ease. She hated the idea of this many people knowing her business. She tried not to think about the fact that shortly after they all left the room at city hall, the entire world would know.

She counted herself, Deacon, and Teddy. Then she added Bucky, Deacon's lawyer, Teddy's lawyer, her own lawyer, her publicist, Teddy's press liaison, and his speech writer. Tandy was also there for good measure, expressing that she was there on Maddie's behalf when Teddy's team eyed her suspiciously.

That made eleven; eleven people that she had to sit in front of and spill her guts to.

She was nauseous.

She cleared her throat, trying incredibly hard not to vomit all over the front of her black Chanel dress.

"So are we just going to stare at each other's beautiful faces all day or are we going to have a discussion?" She asked, biting her words at all the outsider suits in the room.

Sure, she was still bitter about this whole mess. Just two days ago, her world was calm. Or at least as calm as it could be, she reminded herself. While she had feared this, she hadn't really seen it coming.

"I still don't understand why he has to be here," Teddy muttered audibly to his lawyer, eyeing Deacon.

Deacon scoffed, unfolding his hands and turning them up palms up on the table in confusion.

"Seriously? You're kidding, right?"

"Teddy," Rayna shook her head and rubbed her temples. "Please?"

"Sorry," he nodded to Rayna, then to the rest of the table. "I'm sorry, everyone. Let's proceed. Apparently, as a few of you may know, there is a story floating around amongst the press that my daughter Maddie is Deacon Claybourne's biological child. I've called everyone here today to discuss appropriate measures in addressing this rumor."

Deacon smirked to himself, staring at his fidgeting hands to fight the urge to look at Teddy and say, _"It can't be a rumor if it's true, douchebag."_

Teddy's press lady, whom Rayna remembered to be named Lauren, looked the most confused. She also looked like she was young enough to be an intern, not an actual member of the mayor's cabinet. Where did he find these people?

"I'm confused," she spoke up. Rayna tried not to roll her eyes. "I haven't heard anything about this. No one's called me."

Rayne closed her eyes and placed her hands on her temples once more; growing impatient with how slow this process was moving. "That's because it hasn't leaked yet. The press is sitting on it for God knows why."

"Okay," Lauren started. "So then why are we all here for a rumor that hasn't been started yet?"

Teddy cleared his throat and looked down at the papers in front of him, pretending to look them over. He would try anything to avoid the gazes that were going to come next.

"Because it's true."

Teddy's team gasped, while Deacon's lawyer simply stared at him in shock. Rayna took that to mean he hadn't casually mentioned it to him in the elevator. Apparently, she was the only one who had thought to brief her people.

After allowing everyone to get their reactions out of the way, Teddy continued.

"It's true and Maddie knows. I've raised her as my own since before she was born and I am _still_ her father, but this coming out explosively in the tabloids could really hurt her. As her parents, Rayna and I—"

Deacon cleared his throat loudly, reaching obnoxiously for the glass of water in front of him. Teddy fumed; Rayna did finally roll her eyes.

"As I was saying, we've decided to beat the tabloids to the punch. We're going to come clean, completely, no holds barred. Before anyone says anything, I'm aware of the potential effect this could have on any future campaign I may choose to run. Rayna has also discussed with me her awareness of how this could affect her current professional situation. It simply doesn't matter. Our only concerns at this point are protecting our daughters and their wellbeing, so…"

Teddy trailed off, clearly embarrassed and beaten by the admission.

His team whispered amongst themselves, as did Bucky and Rayna's publicist. Deacon's lawyer simply jotted down some sort of note, while Deacon himself smiled weakly across the table at Rayna.

She glared at him, shaking her head. She couldn't believe that he'd fallen for Teddy's nonsense again, on today of all days.

He frowned at her expression, glancing back downward.

She rested her head in her hands. She couldn't wait for this meeting to be over with. Truth be told, the longer it dragged on, the more she found herself wanting everything to just be out in the open once and for all.

* * *

Maddie sat cross legged on the couch, strumming her guitar almost aimlessly. She'd be fascinated by the instrument for as long as she could remember. Her mom had told her stories of being on tour when she was a baby and nothing in the world would make her stop crying but the sound of a guitar. Then, as soon as she was old enough to begin recognizing shapes and everything more vividly, she would run her pudgy little hands over every inch of it from headstock to body. She studied it _so_ carefully, she had been told.

She got her first for her 3rd birthday. It was child sized and purple, she remembered. She played and learned on it until her 8th, when, on Deacon's advice, Rayna had pitched she was old enough for something a little more "mature."

She'd never stopped honing her craft. Every day, whether it was out of ecstasy, frustration, sorrow, or just plain boredom, she picked up her guitar and played. Sometimes she picked, sometimes she strummed, and other times she actually tried to piece things together to write her own music.

It didn't matter how she was doing it, though. Holding the instrument in her hands had become so natural to her that if she didn't have it there during any sort of confusion or crisis, she became anxious.

Grasping the frets steadied her in a way that nothing else ever could.

She'd wondered once or twice how she was able to garner such a connection to this blessing. Her mom, while incredibly gifted vocally and with the pen, was somewhat pitiful when she tried to play and Teddy could barely clap on beat.

It was all clear to her, finally. Whether she had noticed it or not, everything about her that never made sense had suddenly become vividly on point. She had been connecting all of the dots since she found out Deacon was her father and more than anything, she was proud of it.

Sure, he'd had his issues. She couldn't fully understand the depths of the darkness he'd driven himself to, but her instinct believed he was a good man with the best intentions for those he loved. She wanted to be there for him. Not so much to pick up the pieces behind him, but to hopefully stop him from shattering in the first place.

She wanted to claim him; she wanted to be his _daughter_.

She grinned at the thought, knowing full well what was coming in the next few hours. She was ready to embrace it.

* * *

Maddie stirred as Rayna kissed her cheek softly. She'd fallen asleep on the couch, guitar in hand.

"What happened?" She looked around groggily, hearing Deacon's muffled voice coming from the kitchen. He seemed to be on the phone. "Where is everyone?"

Rayna smiled and sat down on the couch, pulling her hair out of the high ponytail she'd kept for the meeting. She rubbed Maddie's knee.

"Tandy and Daphne still aren't back from gymnastics. Deacon's here. He'll be in here shortly."

"Is dad coming over?"

Rayna shook her head. "Not yet, honey. He'll be over later tonight."

Maddie nodded.

"So it's just the three of us?"

"For now, yeah."

Maddie grinned ever so slightly, bringing her sleepy gaze up to meet her mother's.

"Good. I like it when it's just the three of us sometimes."

Rayna smiled at her daughter. She really did seem calm.

"So your dad and I wrote a joint statement. Everything's in it. It should be going to press any time. You feel okay?"

Maddie shrugged her shoulders before nodding.

"I am. I'm really not embarrassed, mom. Or hurt. It was confusing at first and everything but really I feel lucky. I have three parents who love me when so many kids have none. And I've been thinking about it and what makes me who I am and I think I got the best parts of you and Deacon and even some of the best parts of dad. I mean I know he hates this whole thing, but I've told him over and over he's my daddy. I still love him more than anything in the world, but I love Deacon too. And you, of course."

Rayna felt her eyes well up.

It seemed like only yesterday she cradled this little 7 pound butterball in her arms every night, rocking and singing her to sleep. She held and rocked her as a 5 year old when she had a nightmare and now she had no idea who this mature, almost grown teenager was sitting in front her.

Her optimism and grace since they'd told her of the leak was leaps and bounds beyond what Rayna thought would happen. She had never been more proud of her daughter than she was today.

"Excuse me, hey," Deacon walked towards the couch slowly. Maddie smiled at him. "Hey sweetheart. I've got someone on the phone here who'd like to talk to you, if you want to talk."

He extended his iPhone out to her, smiling nervously.

"Who is it?"

He chuckled, still obviously nervous, and shot Rayna a quick glance. She smiled, nodding at him in encouragement.

"It's, uh, it's my mama. Your grandma."

Maddie's face didn't change, but her eyes lit up in a thousand different ways. With everything going on with her parents, she had barely been able to consider a whole new extended family. She knew this could be really special, though. She'd only ever known one grandmother, so it kind of felt like a new chance for her.

"_Is she gonna like me?_" she repeated over and over in her head, before finally taking a deep breath and anxiously taking the phone from Deacon's shaking hand.

She looked at it for a couple of seconds before looking to both Rayna and Deacon, almost asking for their approval.

"Go ahead, sweet girl. It's okay." Rayna smiled at her daughter, giving her the same encouraging nod she had given Deacon just a minute before.

Maddie nodded, inhaling deeply again.

"Hello?"


End file.
